Wednesday, 8 October 2008

AP loves steak. He thinks beef is the meat above all meats; it is uber-meat. I think it's a man thing :p To be fair, there are times when I really just want to sink my teeth into a juicy piece of steak. I find there's pretty good value for steak dinners here in Vancouver. Not necessarily cheap but you get a lot for your money. But then, it isn't that difficult to cook steak at home either. Especially when beef is actually much cheaper than chicken here in Vancouver. I bought two pieces of beautiful sirloin steaks from Safeway last week during a promotion. The promotional price was very good, but then even the regular price was cheaper than back in the UK. Price per kg, it was cheaper than skinless and boneless chicken breast, which didn't make a lot of sense to me... Well, we're defintely going to make the most of that!

Steaks are not difficult to cook. A good quality piece of meat, just some simple seasoning and minutes on a frying or griddle pan is all that is needed. Couple that with mashed or baked potatoes and seasonal greens or a salad, you have yourself a lovely meal. (You might even want to light some candles and open a bottle of wine for a special evening.) As long as you follow some simple but important points, you are more than likely to turn out beautifully cooked steak at home every time.

Tips for cooking steak

1. Avoid buying steaks that are cut too thin as they are easy to overcook (which means no 'frying steaks' or 'minute steaks'). I tend to buy steaks that are about 3/4 to 1 inch thick.

2. Bring steak to room temperature before cooking, so make sure to remove the meat from the fridge at least 15 minutes before cooking.

3. Good meat should require little seasoning, so that the flavours of the meat itself can come through. But all meats will benefit from a light drizzle or brush of olive oil, and some salt and freshly ground black pepper.

4. Preheat the frying pan or griddle pan until very hot before adding the meat.

5. Place the steak on a hot pan and cook on medium high heat, turning only once. If you want criss cross lines, rotate the steak on the same side after a minute of placing that side down.

6. For rare, cook for 3 minutes on each side. The centre will be very red and when pressed, the juices will be a little bloody. For medium, cook for 4 1/2 to 5 minutes on each side. The centre will be pink and juices will be a little pink but mostly clear). For well done (if you really must...) steaks, cook for 7 minutes on each side. There will be no trace of pink in the centre, and juices (if any... just joking ;) ) will be clear. These cooking times are a guide and actual cooking time will depend on the thickness and cut of your steak.

7. IMPORTANT: Let the steak rest on a warm plate before serving. When just off a hot pan or grill, the meat is like a tense muscle. Resting for 5 minutes allows the meat to relax and the juices to flow, giving a much more tender texture and juicy flavour.

Some would argue that a good steak should not be defiled by any such nonsense as sauces and toppings. I do agree that a good piece of meat should be able to stand up on its own so that one could enjoy its flavours for what they are. However, I also like a good peppercorn sauce, red wine sauce or a pat of garlic and parsley butter melting on a steak sometimes. For those of you who might like a bit of a sauce for your steak, here's an easy method:

Simple red wine sauce

After removing the steak from the pan, bring it back up to medium heat and deglaze the pan with a small glass of red wine. Simmer until the liquid is reduced by half, stirring to incorporate bits in the pan left by the steak. Add about 100ml of beef stock and simmer until reduced. At the end, turn the heat down to low, add a small pat of butter and stir until it melts, to enrich the sauce and give it a silky texture. Season with a little salt and a generous grinding of black pepper. Pour over the steak. You can omit the red wine and just use the beef stock if you wish.

Here is a slightly more fancy method with mushroom and onion:

Mushroom sauce

After removing the steak from the pan, bring it back up to medium heat. Add a small amount of finely sliced onions and cook until just turning soft. Add some finely sliced mushrooms (about 4-5; great if you can use portobello, brown chestnut or wild mushrooms) and continue to cook until the mushrooms are just starting to soften. Deglaze the pan with a small glass of red wine. Simmer until the liquid is reduced by half, stirring to incorporate bits in the pan left by the steak. Add about 100ml of beef stock and simmer until reduced. At the end, turn the heat down to low, add a small pat of butter (or sour cream) and stir until it melts, to enrich the sauce and give it a silky texture. Season with a little salt and a generous grinding of black pepper. Pour the mushroom and onion sauce over the steak. (You can omit the red wine and just use the beef stock if you wish.)

I topped the mashed potatoes with the mushroom and onion mixture and drizzled some of the sauce over the steak.

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comments:

I love tasty and simple, and I loved your article. I usually have a good steak with some lettuce and dressing. I don't tend to go for the sauce, but I cook the steak with a bit of garlic, and a tiny bit of fresh chilli. I also love to have some sauteed shallots with a good piece of skirt! just before serving, I sprinkle with coarsly ground salt...I love your choice of steamed broccoli. This dish is my staple diet. balanced, fresh, tasty and healthy, provides proteins, vitamins, fibers...Your photos are fab too! :)Simple's best, I raise my glass of red wine to you!

Amazing, I love this post!! This is setting off an instant drool issue and a craving for nice juicy steak. How nice that beef is cheaper than chicken here in Vancouver ... I thought chicken is like the cheapest of all meats. I love thick thick steak too but they are costly to buy ... well not as costly as ordering it outside... hee

lovely photo!!I don't eat steak but do cook for hubby all the time.Honestly I dunno what part is good to cook what meal,so I just buy porterhouse steak!.I just rub with salt and pepper and pan fried! that all.Now you make me want to try out sirlion steak!

I, for one, love red wine sauces with steak. I haven't made or had it that way in a really long time, though. I have been craving steak lately, but have been scared away by the prices unfortunately. Sigh. :P

Amen to a good steak. My husband gets them over an inch thick, and he cooks them (I'm not allowed as steak is his territory :)). He makes a dry rub of different spices(celery seed is very nice on steak), or like you, just uses salt and pepper. Rib eye is our favorite. My kids are total steak-hounds.